Sometimes selling refurbished chairs involves taking furniture that has little value and turning it into useful seating for someone's home. Other times, refurbishing chairs involves handling antiques that lose their value if their finish is removed. The more time you commit to familiarizing yourself with chair styles, values and industry practices, the better you will be at selling refurbished chairs. Remember that even some professional furniture appraisers are sometimes fooled by well-made reproductions.

State Regulations

Contact your state's health department and ask if there are laws you need to abide by to sell refurbished chairs locally and elsewhere. For example, follow any state rules for sanitizing used furniture to kill bedbugs that may be lurking in the padding of upholstered chairs. Determine if your state requires you to have separate storage areas for new upholstery materials and secondhand chairs that haven't been refurbished. Avoid selling insect-infested chairs to your customers by establishing a sanitation process based on health department guidelines, even if it's not required.

Pricing and Reproductions

Read the latest edition of "Kovels' Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide” to avoid underpricing the refurbished chairs you sell that have significant value. Refer to the most recent edition because the guide's prices are based on actual sales from the year prior to publication. Use the guide to learn how to distinguish between antiques and reproductions that resemble them to give your customers correct information about the age of your chairs.

Construction and Fabrics

Examine the bottoms of used chairs to assess the condition and quality of their framework before you buy and refurbish them. For example, purchase chairs with durable hardwood frames, such as elm or oak. Promote the durability of such frames to your customers to bolster your sales. Reupholster some of your chairs with fabrics that have stain-resistant finishes to appeal to customers who have young children and pets. Consider reading "Furniture Repair and Restoration" by Brian Hingley to learn how to repair and reupholster less valuable chairs and how to restore antique chairs.

Environmental Benefits

Highlight the environmental benefits of refurbishing furniture instead of throwing it away. Remember that many consumers are concerned about the environmental impact of waste. Appeal to their desire to use environmentally-friendly products by pointing out that buying refurbished chairs helps keep furniture out of landfills.

Deliveries

Work with a delivery service to have your customers' chairs delivered to them if you don't intend to handle local deliveries yourself. Get estimates from freight-delivery services if you want to sell your refurbished chairs online to out-of-state customers. Determine whether you can make a good profit by selling your chairs online, because freight services are usually pricey. Consider that many customers may not want to pay a high freight charge to buy refurbished chairs that aren't valuable antiques or collectibles.

About the Author

Frances Burks has more than 15 years experience in writing positions, including work as a news analyst for executive briefings and as an Associated Press journalist. Burks has banking and business development experience, and she has written numerous articles on consumer issues and home improvement. Burks holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Michigan.